Trump’s preferred modus operandi will always be transactional power politicsThe US military intervention that toppled Nicolás Maduro was a long time coming. In the week before Christmas, the formidable White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that Donald Trump’s objective was to remove the Venezuelan dictator from power. It was more authoritative corroboration of what Trump aides such as Anna Kelly had been saying for months: “The President is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”

Source: Irish Independent January 04, 2026 08:32 UTC